Secret Gardens of Italy

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 Ciao from Firenze!


My first week of my course abroad has been incredibly interesting! I'm currently taking Secret Gardens of Italy at Florence University of the Arts in Florence, Italy. Many of the courses this summer are experiential, meaning that we are walking and learning rather than spending all of our time in the classroom. This is such a unique style of learning and has made my experience abroad even more special.

My class focuses on the history of Italian gardens spanning from Medieval times to the 1700s. There has also been a large focus on the Medici family and their influence with gardens during the Renaissance. While I do have some lectures, most of the learning takes place outside of the classroom. So far I have had a visit to an old perfumery and the Hospital of the Innocents to catch a glimpse of Medieval cloister gardens, the Botanical Gardens, the Boboli Gardens, and a villa that has housed both the Medici family and King Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy.

For our first walking tour we went to Piazza Santa Maria Novella. The Basilica was constructed in the 1200s by monks and it quickly became an important religious and artistic site in Italy. Many artists for the Middle Ages and the Renaissance visited the church, including Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, and Vasari. Connected to Santa Maria Novella is the Officina Profuma Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, which was created in 1533 and still works as a perfumery today. We did not go inside the church, however we went inside the perfumery and walked to the back room and was able to see the Medieval cloister garden from there. 


Next we went to the Botanical Gardens, founded in 1545 by Grand Duke Cosimo dei Medici. He purchased the land from Dominican sisters when it was used for growing medicinal herbs and the Medici family continued to use it in the same way. The garden features greenhouses, historical gardens, rose gardens, and also a cat that roams around!


My favorite place we have visited so far has been the Boboli Gardens at the Palazzo Pitti. There is so much to see here and even my three hour long class was not enough time to take it all in. Duchess Eleonora of Toledo bought the Palazzo Pitti and instead of renovating the house she designed the Boboli Gardens with the help of Niccolò Pericoli (Tribolo). The gardens were also worked on by Bartolomeo Ammannati and Bernardo Buontalenti, after Tribolo's death. Boboli features true Italian gardens, a lemon house, an Egyptian obelisk, and grottos that have stalactites and stalagmites that have been taken from real caves. The views from the Boboli Gardens are amazing and you could easily spend countless hours here without even stepping foot into Palazzo Pitti.



Getting outside of the center of Florence, we took a longer trip to Villa de Petraia. This country estate houses the famous lunettes by Giusto Utens each of which depict a bird's eye view of the Medici properties throughout the Tuscan region. The garden here is terraced and offers views of Florence. The villa belonged to the Medicis but in the 19th century it was a favorite of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy and his mistress/second wife Rosina. 


 


In only a few days I have learned so much in my class and have been able to visit many places that I probably would not have gone to if it weren't for this class. I really enjoy the experiential learning style of this class because it is so helpful to get to see firsthand what you are learning about. And my class is not the only one that is set up this way! Many of my friends here in Florence take classes that are set up the same way as mine where they get to do cultural and culinary walking tours. I've loved my time here and can't wait to see where else I visit in my class!